smyth



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. M01). SMYTH. BOOK SEWING MACHINE.

No. 250,988. PatentedDeo. 13,1881.

' To all whom it may concern:

books.

rrn STATES PATENT FFCE.

DAVID MOCONNEL SMYTH, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMYTHMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BOOK-SEWING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 250,988, dated December13, 1881. Application filed May 16, 1881. (Model.)

Be it known that I, DAVID McGoNNEL SMYTH, of Hartford, in the State ofConnectiout, have invented an Improvement in Book- Sewing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a manner of feeding sheets to a sewingmachine,to be sewed into books. In my Patent No.220,312 a mechanism is shown forsewing the sheets, and this mode of feeding may be used therewith. Itistherefore only necessary herein to describe the means for feeding thesheets.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of one end ofthe feeding-table. Fig.2 is a vertical sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 shows the paper-guideor the sheet-holder; and Fig. 4 is an elevation representing the sewingneedles corresponding to those in my said Patent No. 220,312, togetherwith the bar for holding the sheet and the devices of my presentimprovement, except theinclined feeding-table, which is removed.

The folded sheets c c are placed upon an inclined feeding table, a, andslide down the same. The sheets a that are sewed into books rest attheir lower edges upon a table formed of the bars 0", that are more orless numerous, according to the size of the machine. They are usuallyabout an inch apart, and the machine is generally of a size forreceiving large books and the parts are adjusted to receive smaller Withthis object in view the bars 0 are attached by blocks 0" to a cross-bar,f and at its two ends there are frame-pieces 9 that are adapted to arypendent columns [L5, and on these the table of bars 0 and the frames 9and parts carried by them can be raised or lowered and clamped by thescrews k so as to bring the upper edges of the sewed books in line withthe bar e, that carries the sheet to be sewed up to place, where thesewing is performed by semicircular needles Z l, as in my aforesaidpatent. The arm or sheet-carrying bar 6 may be moved in the mannerdescribed in my aforesaid patent, or it may simply be moved up and downat the proper time in the direction indicated by the dotted line 3. Thesheets as they slide down the inclined feed-table a will rest at theirupper portion, formin gthe fold of the back against slide vertically onthe stationthe sheet that is being sewed, and the lip 25 at the loweredge of the table will prevent the sheets slipping off, but each sheetis so folded that one of its edges will be arrested by the said lip tand the other edge will swing out over and beyond it, so that the lowestsheet in the pile will be partially spread and in theline of themovement of the sheet-holding bar 6, so that such bar, as it rises, willpass into the lowest folded sheet and lift it up to the place where itis sewed.

To prevent the possibility of the sheet that has been sewed spreading atits bottom edges and pressing the next sheet on the table out of itsplace, I make use of the fingers Z that are upon the shaft m at thefront edge of the table 0 This shaft is rocked by the action of the bentlever n connecting-rod 0 and crank 11 there being a link, 4"", to anyproper prime mover that gives motion to the parts at the right time. Assoon as one sheet has been sewed the sheet-holder descends, the shaft wais rocked, turning its fingers 1 out from beneath the last-sewed sheet.Then the fingers are turned back again, and, acting below and in frontof the sewed sheet, they press its lower edge back upon the table ofbars 0, and the sheet-holder rises and takes the next sheet up to placeto be sewed.

In order to insure the proper position of the sheet endwise, I placeupon the sheet-holding arm 0 a spring-pusher, o that is moved endwise bycoming into contact With the stationary incline 20 as the sheet-holdingarm rises with its sheet to the sewingheedles. Thisincline w isadjustable endwise, so that it can be adapted to move the pusher theproper distance to place the sheet correctly for the needles. The spring10 draws the pusher back as the sheet-holding arm descends before risingto take another sheet, and it is to be understood that the sheetholdingtable is to be placed with reference to the sheet-holding arm andpusher, so that the edge of the sheet will be in contact, or nearly so,with the pusher as the arm rises up within the fold of the sheet.

Under ordinary circumstances the devices before described are all thatwill be required to pr'operlyfeed the sheet and present it to thesewing-machine; but inorder to increase the certainty of the operation,I provide an atmospheric separator,in the form of a tube, 8 from whichatmosphere is constantly drawn. This is moved back and forth at the sametime that the fingers Z are turne(l,there being a connection, i from thetube 8 to the bent lever n so that the movement of the bent levercarries the tube up into contact with the folded sheet, and by a suctionaction the fold of the sheet is separated and drawn over the fingertinto position to be taken by the sheet-holder.

1 claim as my invention- 1. In a book-sewing machine, the combination,with the sewing mechanism, of an inclined feeding-table, a movingsheet-holder, and mechanism for raising the same and the sheet to thesewing mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the book-sewing mechanism, of the inclinedfeeding-table, the

'DAVID MOOONNEL SMYTH.

Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINoKNEY, CHAS. H. SMITH.

